Dear Recycle Lady,
What is National Plastic Free Day and when is it?
More Unknowns
Dear More Unknowns,
The National Plastic Free Day was this past Sunday, May 25. Founded by the National Day Calendar and Free the Ocean, it asks everyone to commit to using no single-use plastics, such as bottles, bags, and take-out food containers, for one day with the hope of bringing awareness to the amount of plastics that we use every day. Only 9% of all plastic is recycled so most plastics end up littering the environment, filling up landfills, and polluting the oceans. The National Plastic Free Day encourages everyone to use only sustainable products, such as silicone sandwich bags instead of plastic bags, reuseable cups instead of single-use plastic cups and reusable shopping bags instead of single-use plastic shopping bags for one day. Better yet, make one of these changes permanent.
The newly created International Plastic Bag Free Day, July 3, 2025, is a global initiative for the elimination of the use of single-use plastic bags. Polystyrene, that is used in making these single-use plastic bags, was first discovered by Eduard Simon, a German apothecary, in 1839. In 1908 cellophane was invented and PVC was invented in 1926. Until the 1930s the only plastic used was Bakelite and celluloid. Then came nylon stockings that replaced heavy wool or expensive silk stockings. Polyethylene (PE) was created in 1898 but wasn’t used for bags until high-density polyethylene (HDPE) was invented 1953 as it made the bags strong, light, and cheap. Karl Zeigler, one of the chemists who invented HDPE, was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1965; the same year that the polyethylene shopping bag was patented by Celloplast, a Swedish company. It quickly began to replace cloth bags in Europe, and in 1979, they were introduced in the United States. Plastic was aggressively marketed as superior to paper and reusable bags.
However, in 1997, with the discovery of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean that is twice the size of Texas, it was found that this huge amount of plastic waste was threatening marine life. Particles of single-use plastic bags have been found in the Mariana Trench 35,849 feet below the surface of the ocean. Plastic bags are killing marine life and especially sea turtles as the bags are often mistaken for jellyfish and seen as food. Bangladesh banned the use of plastic bags in 2002 when it was discovered that they were clogging the drainage systems. South Africa, Rwanda, China, Australia and Italy have also banned the use of plastic bags, as well as several states in the U.S. The International Plastic Bag Free Day is part of the Break Free From Plastic Movement that began in September 2016. Currently, there are 1,500 different organizations looking of solutions to plastic pollution and how to make the Earth safer for humans, for the environment, and for wildlife.
Dear Recycle Lady,
I have a wireless electronic fence for my dog. The collar the dog wears has a battery in it. Are these batteries recyclable?
Love My Dog
Dear Love My Dog,
Congratulations on installing an invisible fence for the protection your dog. These new fences don’t require an underground wire as they are controlled electronically with a special lithium battery-operated collar that warns the dog that it is approaching a boundary line with a beeping sound. The EPA considers these lithium batteries to be toxic waste due to their mercury content. Thus, these batteries are not recyclable locally. According to Battery Recyclers of America, there are some home improvement stores that accept lithium batteries. If anyone knows of such a store, please contact me and I will pass on the information. Unfortunately, the only alternative is to send the batteries to the landfill, as there are no hazardous waste collection sites available.
Good News: A new environmentally friendly printer paper is now available. Elementree Printer Paper is made with sawmill Waste Chips, so no new trees have been cut down to make this paper. The process of making the paper is driven by wind energy and hydropower that uses 47% less water and has approximately one half the carbon footprint. A package of 500 sheets of 20 lb. paper is now available at Walmart.
Have questions about recycling, or interesting information about recycling? Send questions or requests Recyclelady7@gmail.com. Dear Recycle Lady is sponsored jointly by the Greenbrier Recycling Center and Greenworks Recycling.
